Pain ... it can get to you

The Boxer

Now the years are rolling by me
They are rocking evenly
And I am older than I once was
And younger than I'll be, but that's not unusual.
No, it isn't strange
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains.

Paul Simon is reported as saying: “I think the song was about me: everybody's beating me up, and I'm telling you now I'm going to go away if you don't stop."

I can relate.

Some lovely rain

It is two months since we got our first teasing rain of the season. 12 mm of gentle rain at the beginning of September and only one other fall in October. Last night we had our first storm of the season; firstly, reasonably gentle wind, and then out of (apparently) nowhere, a steady 44 mm of rain followed by a bit of lightning and some thunder.

www.swamp.com.au

There was one bad result, the small amount of wind dislodged some birds eggs from a nest high in the African Mahogany tree in our front yard. All that hard work for nothing. I wonder will the mother try again or perhaps some survived. It is far too high to even guess.

The garden really appreciated the drink.

The Office Fascinator

Sadly, for him, and his followers, it was not to be Bart's Bakers Dozen this year.












photo from News.com.au




Shocking, ridden by Corey Brown and trained by Mark Kavanagh has won the 2009 Melbourne Cup. His owner, Laurence Eales, revealed at the presentation that he had a pre-written acceptance speech in his pocket. If only he had shared that with us beforehand ...

Oh well, there is always next year!










Even Google got in on the act.


Fashions on the field were spectacular as usual (click on the link below for some of them)

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/gallery/0,23607,5061780-5017766,00.html#



The fascinators were out at the office Cup luncheon too.













At the last minute, I decided that I should have a statement on my head also and set to work with a few minutes and available props and actually produced an appropriately named office fascinator, which took out the prize. Yeaha! You will see bits of stationery and packing tape, as well as racing form, betting tickets and reminders.





















And ... it won't have to be thrown at the back of the cupboard and forgotten about; turn it over and it's a carry tray for 4 cups of coffee! Very versatile!

Unlucky for some; 13 the baker's dozen?

Bart Cummings has three contenders in this year's Melbourne Cup: the favourite Viewed, Roman Emperor and Allez Wonder.

He is reported to be wondering if he released his autobiography too soon.

And is Michelle Payne wondering if she can become the first female jockey to win the Cup, on a Cummings trained horse Allez Wonder?

She is the youngest of 10 children, eight of whom became jockeys, with her now retired brother Patrick the most successful of the siblings so far.

It won’t be a four leaf clover on her silks when she rides tomorrow, but it could be a lucky clover to match the “lucky for some” number 13 win for Bart Cummings if she crosses the line first tomorrow.

Incidentally, Allez Wonder starts from barrier 13.

picture from News.com.au